Refugium Sump Size

Stroubs · Sep 6, 2013

Hey we are putting our tank together, and need some advice on the sump/refugium. It will be a 150 gallon tank. We will be doing a reef tank and I need to get the sump refugium set up. Is there a size that needs to correlate with the tank size? I found this one on ebay and would like to know if you all think it will suffice? They ship it to you and you put it together. Putting it together does not bother me at all I am pretty handy.
Aquarium Filter KIT- 36x12x15-FREE SHIPPING-100 page instructions-refugium, sump

Thanks
Mike

MadBrad527 · Sep 6, 2013

The sump itself does not directly relate to the aquarium size, however the size and amount of filtration equipment that you plan on putting in your sump does matter. For example, a sump with some live rock and a skimmer would not take up anywhere near as much room as a sump that would contain a skimmer, live rock, filter socks, ATO reservoir, and 1-2 heaters all in one sump. Considering the fact that you plan on also using a refugium, some people prefer to put that in to their sump, while others have their refugium in a completely separate tank.

Basically what I am trying to convey is that there's no correct or incorrect sump size, it all depends on what you plan to put in to your sump.

pam0630 · Sep 6, 2013

for my 125 gallon tank......i bought a R-300 eshopps refugium and a huge pump to support the system.......i have my octopus skimmer to the left...refugium to the center with sand and a nice large pourus rock and the large pump in the last chamber............

Palting · Sep 6, 2013

I have a 150 gallon, 72X18X27. The sump has a 50 gallon capacity and running at 30 gallons, and a remote dedicated 20 gallon refugium. So, that's a total volume of 70 gallons sump/refugium for my system.

Most people run the largest size tank for a sump/refugium they can fit in their cabinet, and a lot wish they could have more room. Since the general consensus is the bigger the sump/refugium the better, I don't know if there is a minimum. It has been said that the refugium by itself should at least be 10% of the DT volume for it to make any impact on biofiltration and pod growth. Then, you'll need space for a skimmer rated for at least 200 gallons preferably 300. The of space required will depend on the skimmer footprint. Then you should have enough reserve capacity in case of power outage. IMO, your combined sump refugium for your 150 gallon DT should be a 50 gallon minimum. If you want to run reactors, you'll need to alot space for those as well. The sump you are looking at, 36x12x15, only has a 28 gallon capacity.